Display-mount.



W. M. FOOTE.

DISPLAY MOUNT.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 21, 1911.

Patented Sept. 12, 1911.

UNITED srATns PATENT OFFICE. I

.WABREN M. FOOTE, OF LANSDOWNE, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGN OR TO WARREN M.

FOOTE, TRUSTEE UNDER THE WILL F ALBERT E. FOOTE, TRADING AS FOOTEMINERAL COMPANY.

- DISPLAY-MOUN T.

Patented Sept. 12, 1911.

Application flled' -Tanuary 21,v 1911. Serial No. 608,840.

. To all whom it may concerns Be it known-that I, WARREN Foo'rn, acitizen of the United States, residing at Lansdowne, in the county ofDelaware and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Display Mounts, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to a device for mounting specimens and objects ofinterest for the purpose of exhibition, and in such connection it hasparticular relation to a device for mounting entomological, botanicalmineralogical and other natural history specimens and the like. Two maintypes of mounts are at presentin common use for the display of naturalhistory specimens, one of which consists of a glass cover plateunder'which is secured, in any suit-able manner, a rigid tablet ofplaster orother material having formed therein depressions for thereception of all Or a portion of the object to be exhibited. This formof mount while of considerable usefulness in some respects isobjectionable principally on account of its lack of adaptability tovariations in the size and shape of the specimens or objects to bemounted. The other form of mount "re ferred to consists of a similarglass cover plate under which is carried a bed of cotton batting orsimilar yieldable material in which the specimen or object will embeditself. This form of mount while also having a considerable field ofusefulness on account of its adaptability to various shapes and sizes ofobjects has been found in practice to be unsuitable for mounting theheavier objects such as minerals,'n1etals and the like.

The principal object therefore of my invention is toprovide a device formounting specimens which will overcome the obj ections to the otherforms of mounts referred to, which will be adaptable to various shapesand sizes of specimens and objects to be exhibited, and which will beparticularly valuable for the mounting of heavier specimens such asminerals, metals, etc., as aforesaid.

The nature and characteristic features of my invention will be morereadily understood from the following description taken in connectionwith the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, in which Figure 1 isa perspective vlew of a display mount embodying the main features of mypresent invention, the various parts being shown 1n detach-edrelationship; Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the device shown in Flg.1, the parts being assembled and a specimen being shown in placetherein; and Fig. 3 1s a view similar to Fig 2, but of a modified formof my invention.

Referring to the drawings, in the particular embodiment of my inventionthere shown, 4 is a transparent cover plate, preferably glass, which issurrounded by a cardboard frame 5, making in effect a boxlid 6. Thepreferred manner of constructing the boxlid 6 consists in surroundingthe edges of the glass 4 with a stri of cardboard 7 havinga portion 17exten ing over the top of the glass 4, and a strip of thicker cardboard8 is lnclosed within the outerstrip 7 and supports the glass cover'plate' l from beneath. The cardboard frame of the lid 6 may be coveredby a suitable finishing paper 9.

10 is a pliable sheet, of any suitable material such as cloth, cantonflannel, velvet, or even paper, which is adapted to maintain the objectto-be exhibited against the under surface ofthe glass 4 as willhereinafter be morefully set forth.

11 is a box tray of any preferred construction; as shown consisting ofthe tray portion proper 12, the outside dimensions, the vertical wallsl3,"of which are slightly less than the inside dimensions of the lid 6.The tray 11 may be provided with a flange 14;, formed by securing alarger piece of cardboard 15 to the underside of the tray portion proper12, and the structure may be suitably covered by a finishing paper 16.

In mounting the specimen 19 to be exhibited inthe device the same isplaced on the pliable sheet 10 which is held more'or less taut over thetray 11. In the preferred form of the invention as shown the sheet 10 issomewhat larger than the subjacent tray 11 so that the lid 6 willencounter a projecting portion of the pliable sheet 10 sides as Wellasthc top of the specimen will be exposed to view and that theconformation assumed by the sheet 10 will greatly enhance the appearanceof the specimen to be exhibited. The sloping of the sheet to the edgesof the cover plate will also serve to reflect the light around the sidesof the specimen. Furthermore the portion of the sheet which is heldbetween the lid 6 and the vertical walls 13 of the tray 11 willefi'ectually prevent dust, etc., from reaching the specimen, as well asacting as a frictional means for preventing undesired separation of theparts while permitting ready access to the specimen when desired. Itwill also be seen that the specimen will be held quite firmly againstthe glass so that specimens mounted in the device may be readily shippedwithout danger of damage or shifting about. In some cases it may befound desirable to place a wadding of cotton batting or similaryieldable material 18 in the tray 11 beneath the sheet 10 as clearlyshown in Fig. 3 of the drawings.

Having thus described the nature and characteristic features of myinvention, What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentis:

1. In a device for exhibiting specimens, a transparent cover plate, anda pliable sheet adapted to hold the specimen against the cover plate.

2. In a device for exhibiting specimens, a transparent cover plate, apliable sheet a pliable sheet adapted to hold the specimen against thecover plate, and means for securing the sheet adjacent the edges of thecover plate.

3. In a device for exhibiting specimens, a transparent cover plate and asurroundin frame comprising a cover or lid, a tray, and adapted to holdthe speci men against the cover plate, the edges of said sheet beingheld between said cover or lid and tray.

4. In a device for exhibiting specimens, a transparent cover plate and asurrounding frame com rising a cover or lid, a tray having vertica sidewalls, and a pliable sheet for holding the specimen against the coverplate, the edges of said sheet being frictionally held between thevertical walls of the tray and the'frame surrounding the cover plate.

5. In a device for exhibiting specimens, a transparent cover plate and asurrounding frame comprising a cover or lid, a tray, apliable sheet forholding the specimen against the cover plate, the edges of said sheetbeing held between the cover or lid and the tray, and a filling ofyieldable material in the tray beneath the sheet.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name in the presence oftwo witnesses.

WARREN M. FOOTE. Witnesses:

WILLIAM S. A'roHIsoN, ELIZABETH J. BLOOMER.

